While the documentary Momentum Generation focuses on a group of surfers it really is much more than a big wave, big wipe out, highlight-producing action-sport film.

Instead, at its heart, Momentum Generation is a movie about camaraderie, not cajones.

Although, with a nod to the need for the latter, there’s a really funny part in the movie about the reaction some young surfers from the mainland have the first time they see the size of the waves at the legendary and monstrous Pipeline portion of Oahu’s North Shore coastline.

In a word: gulp.

The excellent (you don’t have to love surfing to enjoy this movie) Momentum Generation has the honour of closing out the 18th annual Whistler Film Festival (Nov. 28-Dec. 2) this year.

The story begins back in 1992 when filmmaker Taylor Steele released his 35-minute VHS surfing film Momentum. Starring in the film was a whole new batch of young American surfers. These fresh-faced kids were charging the sport and doing so to a driving punk rock soundtrack (this movie helped make The Offspring and Pennywise famous). Times had changed.

From then on known as the Momentum Generation (Steele would make other films starring these guys) this posse of young punks were credited with breaking surfing into the mainstream culture.

They all came together under one roof in a sort of extended slumber party at Benji Weatherly’s “Pipeline House.” From there — with the help of their own surf guru the late Todd Cresser — Kelly Slater, undoubtedly the king of the sport, Rob Machado, Shane Dorian, Taylor Knox, Weatherly, Ross Williams, Kalani Robb and Pat O’Connell lived and surfed the North Shore together 24/7. They pushed each other and took care of each other.

“There were things in there that everyone can relate to,” Slater said about the documentary to the online magazine Inertia recently. “It’s about a surf group, but it’s not just a surf film.”

Made by non-surfers and Academy Award-shortlisted and Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmakers Michael and Jeff Zimbalist (they made the amazing sports doc the Two Escobars) this film, which will air on HBO Dec. 3, has its fun buddy film moments. There’s plenty of boys being boys and great surfing footage but where it gets interesting is when the adult versions of the surfers sit down and examine their long and very often complicated relationships.

Most notably is how competition came between Slater and Machado. In the end Machado stopped competing in favour of a big wave, free surfing career and Slater — who at one point was a regular on Baywatch and dated Pamela Anderson — went on to win a record 11 World Surf League titles, including five consecutive ones in 1994—98.

Watching the current day Slater and Machado, now both in their mid-40s, discuss that time in their lives it becomes clear very quickly that Slater is a cool, calculated machine and Machado probably shouldn’t take up poker for a living.

Surfer Rob Machado did battle with his friend Kelly slater throughout surf competitions in the 1990s.Rachel Luna /
Getty Images

“I think from the onset we were all in agreement that we weren’t setting out to make a surf film. It was instead really going to be focused on the relationships — the bonds of friendship and family and also this insiders look at that cultural zeitgeist in 90s that this crew was so influential in shaping,” said Michael Zimbalist recently during a phone interview.

Heading into the project the Zimbalists realized that the surf world was a bit of a closed camp whose bottom line relied a lot on protecting brands, controlling images and keeping heroes afloat. Confidence building conversations had to occur for this deep dive to happen.

“There was certainly a lot of concern that we did right by the actual story and the world and be respectful of the culture,” said Zimbalist about early talks with the film’s subjects.

The film premiered at Tribeca this past spring and since then it has had successful showings at surfing festivals.

“I think a lot of people are surprised by it,” said Zimbalist about the intimate human stories that see familiar surf Gods put aside bravado and lay bare their souls. “A few minutes in guys are talking about broken households and abusive childhoods. It quiets down the audience and they realize this isn’t the surf film they are used to. To be perfectly honest we knew going in that’s what we wanted to talk about, intended to talk about. We made it clear that we were only interested in doing this if the guys were willing to go there and be raw and open.

“I think these guys have all done a ton of interviews throughout the years, but they have almost exclusively been with fairly celebratory surf-oriented publications that are really kind of fair weather in the sense they are covering these guys as top athletes and cultural icons. They are not really doing stories on these guys after they drop off the tour and grapple with depression and whatever else,” added Zimbalist.

“This story surprised us often. There was so much emotion.”

The idea for the film began with Machado, who is still one of the world’s best surfers. From there it took the usual route through managers to film companies to even Robert Redford who signed on to executive produce the film. The Zimbalists were then brought in and shooting began in 2016 at Pipeline.

It wasn’t easy to make this movie. There was a lot of moving parts, time management, opinions and massive amounts of film — surfers are big fans of getting things on film — to wade through.

“To give you a sense we licensed from 50 some odd sources on the Two Escobars and on this project we ended up licensing from 138 sources. So it was quite a haul to get all the material and organize it and create this library. The process began well before we started shooting,” said Zimbalist. “At the end of the day we can confidently say we ended up with the most comprehensive archive on the Momentum Generation and now it’s organized. It just took a massive amount of effort.”

Beach scene from Momentum Generation.Courtesy of WFF /
PNG

The stars of the film didn’t see it until it was done and ready to launch at Tribeca back in April. The night before the actual festival opening the surfers were given a private screening.

“It was a very positive response across the board. Everyone in the group really felt that we had done what we talked about doing. You know, we had done justice to their story but had not sugar coated any of the more challenging vulnerable areas,” said Zimbalist. “They were prepped on that and they respected that and they knew it was a real story and that those parts were necessary to tell their story in a real way and reach and audience. I think a lot of them had the desire to tell that story and get it off their shoulders.

“The guys found out a lot about each other from just watching the movie. That was an interesting thing.”

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